A/N: Sorry it took so long. It's been awhile since I've had time to get on the internet or type. I apologize once more. Thank you to whomever have reviewed the story so far. Please continue in doing so.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
DEATH
It seemed to take hours before Ron and Hermione got over their shock. When they finally did, Harry warily led them deeper into the Chamber of Secrets. His two friends' eyes were darting back and forth in the dim light in awe and question.
Suddenly, Ron wrinkled up his nose. "What's that smell?"
Hermione sniffed the air and recoiled, putting her hand up to her mouth. "Really. What happened?" she breathed.
"It's the Basilisk...dead," Harry reported.
Hermione nodded and asked, "Where's the staircase?" as the statue of Salazar Slytherin fell in view.
Ron hoarsely said, "I don't care as long as we get away from this odor."
Harry laughed a little as they hurried to the base of the statue. His eyes quickly found the gem that sparkled in the torchlight.
"Is this it?" Hermione asked, fingering the gem.
Harry nodded and looked at the small serpent. Shadows seemed to make it dance.
"Open...." he hissed softly.
Hermione turned to look at the staircase in wonder, her mouth open with amazement. She ducked a bit to stare into the space that had appeared in front of her.
Ron nudged her a little. "You can gape at it inside...."
She looked up at him, eyes full of annoyance, but she followed him into the hole. Harry came in after them.
"Um, I guess I'll go up the stairs first," he said when they looked at him expectantly.
Harry glanced backward to the chamber as he took his first step onto the staircase. Ron and Hermione hurried after him.
They went up into the darkness and Ron asked, "Where does this go?"
"To the mouth of the statue," Harry replied.
The glow from their wands illuminated the walls and faded as shadows overthrew light. Harry turned many times to make sure Ron and Hermione were behind him, although he knew they weren't anywhere else.
The time it took to reach the top seemed shorter than before. Harry thought that it was because he knew what to expect and fear wasn't keeping him back.
As the steps rise leveled out, Hermione abruptly asked to see the table near the corner.
Harry held his wand up high and stepped into the statue's mouth. He looked around, spotting the gleaming glass.
"Over here."
He led them to it and Hermione took on a look of deep concentration. She peered into the glass and frowned.
"Well, I guess the gem was here...." she said.
Harry nodded. "That snake said that it was."
Hermione continued to look at the table, creases forming on her forehead as her frown deepened. Harry watched her squint at whatever she found amusing as Ron walked over, looking around.
"Okay. Now that we've seen the marvelous table with glass...shan't we go on?" he said in a mocking voice.
Hermione stood straight and glared at him.
"What?" Ron asked, holding up his hands to show that he was only joking. "I was just going to ask Harry where the entrance to the tunnel was."
Hermione nodded and sighed. "Where is it?"
Harry could already sense that he was going to regret this night. He stiffly showed them where the two snakes carved onto the cream-colored wall.
"Here," he said, pointing at the jewels.
Ron and Hermione studied it a little, Ron prodding at the jewels. "Strange-looking," he remarked.
Harry shrugged and Hermione backed away from the wall, looking up. "Shall we go now?" she asked, still staring into the void.
"Alright," Harry replied, turning to face the walls. He could feel his friends stiffen a little out of anxiety.
"Open...." came out as a hiss in parseltounge.
Harry barely made himself heard over the rumbling that abruptly started after his word of command. "Brace yourselves!" he yelled.
Hermione and Ron nodded and made for a part in the room that was not opening. Harry stumbled and crouched down near the ground. He was amazed to find that his teeth were shaking with the quakes.
Looking up, he and his friends saw the tunnel appear before them slowly. Their amazement was short-lived as the rumbling filled their bones.
Finally, the quakes subsided. They walked a bit stiffly on they shaken-up legs but the three friends made their way to the tunnel. Ron and Hermione craned their necks as they looked up, squinting into the darkness that overwhelmed the light.
They looked back down and Ron suggested going in.
"Just what I was thinking," Hermione muttered sarcastically. The sarcasm felt strangely wrong in that place, so Hermione fell silent and followed Harry, who was walking into the darkness.
* * *
Andeline went slowly into the statue's mouth after Harry, Ron, and Hermione. She stood in the shadows as they entered the Secret Tunnel. Soon, the dark void obscured them from view.
The Secret Tunnel holds the truth, someone whispered.
Andeline shifted her gaze to where she thought the sound had originated to find that nothing was there, nothing but darkness.
And yet, the darkness holds a lot...she thought to herself.
Drawing in her breath, the girl quickly followed the trio.
At once, when Andeline entered, a familiarity struck her. A presence of something she knew....
Hurrying on after a wary glance, Andeline went deeper into the darkness. Subtly, a wind crept up behind her. She slowed a bit, hairs on her neck prickling. Then, a burst of strong wind blew and she stopped. There was more to this tunnel...much more....
Andeline took a step forward, eyeing the surroundings. Her walk quickened as her eyes darted around. But the only things she could see were three points of light in the darkness in front of her. It was the light from Harry, Hermione and Ron's wands.
But still...the girl felt strange.
Is there evil here? Andeline questioned.
A light breeze brushed onto her face.
No...she thought again. There is no evil here.... The something here is shrouded.
She hurried on, thoughts still running through her head, but she tried not to allow herself to think about them.
But suddenly, she stopped. Something was there...something that was watching. She twisted to stare around, but she saw nothing. Her hands clenched together, fingers cold.
As she turned straight ahead again, a flash in the darkness flared in front of her eyes. Andeline gasped, a part of her wanting to back away from the sudden images, but part of her also wanted to stay.
The truth....
The whisper entered her ear softly, but it embedded itself in her thoughts.
Andeline could not blink. Her eyes intently focused on the images that presented themselves to her.
"No...." she said hoarsely. "It can't be...."
* * *
Harry, Hermione, and Ron walked farther down the dark, damp tunnel. They were all very silent which became unnerving. But Harry was glad that nothing strange was happening.
After walking about twenty minutes, Ron spoke up.
"Harry? How long do we have to walk?" he asked impatiently. "My feet hurt!"
"Same with mine," Hermione put in.
"We're like...I dunno.... Almost there?"
Ron and Hermione stared at him and stopped in their tracks.
"You mean...you don't know how long it's going to take? Seamus, Dean, or— heck! —even Neville might notice we're gone!" Ron said loudly.
Harry looked at them. "It was you guys who wanted to come! I would've preferred not to!"
Ron scowled. "Well, it would've been smart of you to remember how long this would take!"
"If you were in my position...you wouldn't have remembered things like that either!"
"Why? Because of all of those images? Because of your mum?"
"Ron!" Hermione said sharply. She looked at the both of them. "What's gotten into you two?"
Ron sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry, Harry. I just wonder what'll happen if we're gone too long."
Harry nodded.
Silence fell on them once more. Harry found himself looking at his shoes sometimes, but he occasionally glanced at Ron and Hermione. His redheaded friend looked annoyed while Hermione looked uncomfortable.
After another ten or fifteen minutes, they came upon the next wall.
"Finally," Harry heard Ron mutter. Hermione sighed in relief.
Harry stared up at the snakes.
"Wow. The gems are different here," Hermione said.
Harry nodded, concentration broken. He turned to look at them again. "Before I forget," he informed them, "the vibrations here aren't as violent."
His two friends nodded.
Harry turned back to the jewel-eyed serpents once more.
"Open...." he hissed.
The rumbling followed as the walls parted again. All three of them managed to keep their balance, not even stumbling.
"Oh...." Hermione breathed as she stepped out into the moonlight. "So, these are the mountains by Hogwarts?"
Her eyes followed the outline of mountains from land to sky.
"Er...I think," Harry replied.
She seemed content with that as she stared with wonder at the rest of the surroundings.
Ron scratched his head. "Where's the stone?" he asked.
"Over there," Harry said, looking in the direction where he guessed the stone was.
"Show us. Hermione?"
"What?" she turned to look at the boys. "Oh, yes. The stone."
Harry directed them to where he had tripped.
"Er...yeah! Here!"
They hurriedly crouched by it.
Hermione commented, "That's strange."
She reached out to touch it, then thought better of it and stuck out her wand. She tapped it lightly.
"Hermione! There's nothing wrong with it!" Ron said, leaning towards it for a better look.
His shoulder hit her back and Hermione fell forward, touching the stone with bare fingers.
A small gasp escaped between parted lips and her body seized up. Her wand fell from her hand as her eyes suddenly dilated. She seemed to be seeing something, but nothing was there.
"Hermione? Hermione!" Harry asked, panicking.
He looked into her eyes, dimly aware of Ron's questions. Her mouth was open in horror or amazement, Harry was unsure. His eyes bore into hers...and he saw something made his insides churn. Her eyes showed her emotions that had reached a level of fright that scared him. She stared right at him...yet she did not see him.
"Hermione!"
Harry reached out to grasp her hand. A strong tingling sensation filled his arm and she jerked violently when his touch met hers.
Flash!
Redness filled the ground...flowing. What was it? Blood?
Hermione?
He could feel her presence, yet...he could not find her. She was somewhere far away...yet, she was right next to him.
Fog hid his view as he squinted into the opaque colors that swirled and blended. It reached out to him, enveloping him. Its cold feeling crept up his spine. The icy air felt as if it had volume that weighed him down.
A rumbling sound rippled through the fog as something large appeared. An image that was hidden behind velvety darkness rose out of the ground. Darkness inside the cave drew nearer. Red, cold, and frightening, Voldemort's stare bore into him.
Tension.... Horror....
He felt something that resembled fright claw up through him. He could feel a heartbeat pulse faster and faster...a scream that ripped through the throat it was unable to get out. But the heartbeat and scream were not his.
Let go of the stone.
"NO!" someone yelled, the sound rippling through his bones. An explosion filled the air as Hogwarts fell. Running feet sounded in his ears, echoing throughout his mind in headaches.
Hermione!
He traveled although he was not moving, falling backwards into the unknown.
He searched for his friend in the shadows and the cold, bitter mist. She was lost as he, nearer but still beyond his finding.
Something loomed out of the darkness as he fell. The mist opened as he neared the barrier, seeing it. A marble wall stood above him.
A deep trembling filled the air around him. The marble doors parted ever so slowly. He fell towards its opening walls, unable to pull away. The black inside greeted him as the doors closed.
Everything spun into darkness.
His hands ached with cuts and bruises. The soreness tore at him, but they were not his hands as he stared down at them.
Oh, God. Harry!
But the thought was not his.
Hermione?
He tried to grasp where she was.
Let go of the stone. Let go of the stone. LET GO!
Up ahead. He saw her.
A graveyard....
She stood there in the coming light, her gray dress whispering in the cold wind. Her hair reflected burnt umber and cedar where the sun's rays hit them, bouncing off. Her hands had dust in their clutches, and she threw them up into the calling wind, specs of gray floating upward into the sky. And whispers went with them to the heavens.
Hermione!
Harry ran the distance between them. Horror flowed up his veins...horror that was not his. And sorrow went with it, sorrow with regret and pain.
Hermione!
And suddenly he saw the tombstone that she stood in front of. He saw it as if he were standing right next to her. It only lasted a millisecond but it scared him in that time.
H-A-R-R-Y P-O-T-T-E-R
But Harry was back where he had been, running the distance. And he kept running.
He drew up to Hermione and his hand clasped hers firmly. She turned and her ember eyes looked into his.
Flash!
Their eyes were still locked as the world filled with white light and everything shattered.
Suddenly, a word rang out toward them.
"Treachery!"
Hermione screamed.
And they fell...fell into a darkness that lost them.
Pain filled Harry's head as he blinked out the lights that obscured his vision. He winced as he sat up on the ground by the white stone. His eyes cleared enough to see Ron who had a look of utter bewilderment on his face.
Hermione groaned and sat up.
Harry looked at her...then at their linked hands.
She stopped short, stared at him, and let go of his hand.
"Hermione? Are you okay?" Harry asked. He massaged the hand that had held hers. It tingled and stung.
She nodded, but he could see that she was tense with fright.
"Did you see—" Harry started.
She looked up at him and he saw the answer in her eyes.
He clenched his hand and unclenched it involuntarily. Ron still looked at them in question.
"W-what happened?" Harry asked Ron.
He blinked. "I dunno. You held her hand and went into this trance. Your eyes dilated and you were seeing something. I know you were, even if you weren't seeing me. You kept muttering 'Hermione' while she kept muttering a number of things. Then, your eyes went back to normal and she screamed." Ron paused. "The rock flashed and you two literally flew into the air. I thought you broke your neck or something...."
Harry looked at where he was compared to the rock: several feet away. Seeing this, he put a hand up to his aching head.
Hermione had her eyes on the ground. Her gaze was bright.
"Er...." Ron said. "Did anything happen?"
Harry shook his head distantly.
The images...what were they?
A cool breeze swept onto his face and he blinked.
"Are you two sure you're okay?" Ron asked again. "Do I need to get you to the Hospital Wing or something?"
"No," Harry said, getting onto his feet.
His gaze landed on the stone. It looked brighter than it had.
"We should get back. We have class tomorrow," Hermione whispered. She stood up, but her gaze didn't leave the ground. Instead, her eyes shifted to the stone that Harry had looked at.
"Okay...." Ron said slowly. He raised an eyebrow at Harry. He shrugged.
"Didn't find anything...did we," Ron said absently. "Okay. I wouldn't know where to look."
He glanced at Harry one more time and turned to walk slowly back toward the tunnel. Questions ran through his head at light speed.
Hermione and Harry followed him after a brief hesitation. As they dragged on, Harry met Hermione's gaze.
"Treachery?" he mouthed without sound.
Hermione's eyes widened and she looked down in reply.
He saw that she was trembling. It wasn't cold so she was not shaking because of that.
Hermione looked at her feet. She felt herself shaking, her pulse beating. What had those images meant? How did Harry also see them? What was that stone?
She felt cold all over. But suddenly, warmth slid into her right hand as Harry took it, and she looked up into his small smile.
* * *
Andeline backed up, biting her lip.
"No.... They died in a fire!"
The image flashed up again.
Only the truth is revealed in the tunnel.
"Stop!" Andeline yelled.
Why was this happening to her? She never did anything. This wasn't right. This wasn't supposed to be happening.
"No, no, no!" she yelled again, backing up further. She looked around desperately.
There was a crack like a whip and laughter rang out from all around her. Andeline gritted her teeth.
I have to be strong.... I have to be strong for Mummy and Daddy!
There was a red flash and fire stood in front of Andeline, the very fire that had perished four souls.
Vetil...she thought desperately. Help me!
The fire crackled. Screams rang out from inside the flames. They were trapped...trapped in the midst of death.
Andeline closed her eyes and covered her ears. She bit down on her teeth harder to keep from screaming.
I'm not the strong one.... I was never the strong one! Why? Why does it have to be me?
The girl let out a dry sob. She understood...but it was painful. She had finally grasped what had happened that fiery night. Tears streamed down her face as she looked into the deep flames once more.
I will avenge your deaths. I will not let them have been for nothing.
Andeline's fear and sadness suddenly turned to hate so hot that it matched the flames flickering in front of her. The reflection of the fire danced in her eyes as a bright aura of power flashed around her.
There was a crack and the wood of the burning house splintered. The roof collapsed inward and the lives that lived there gave one final cry of help.
"I understand...." Andeline whispered.
She suddenly didn't feel anything at all. The hatred melted away...leaving emptiness, painful emptiness.... There was no confusion, no anger, no fear.
I will be strong. I will not fail you....
The fire turned sky-blue and slowly diminished. Andeline closed her eyes. She fell to her knees and looked at the floor. Her tears were already dry.
One will die and two will live,
But the life given will change the future....
Andeline looked up. She slowly stood on her feet, shifted and walked back toward the statue's mouth. All was forgotten about Harry, Hermione, and Ron.
Your deaths will not have been in vain....
* * *
They entered the Secret Tunnel once again. Harry stood back and hissed "close" in parseltounge.
The rumbling came but they stumbled on blindly until they had the sense to say, "Lumos".
Hermione had quietly comforted in the minutes that passed. Her pulse slowed and her trembling subsided. Harry let go of her hand when she was calmed; Ron hadn't noticed anything.
They walked on, rarely saying anything. If any was spoken, it was usually Ron asking if they were okay. All he got in answer was a small nod from his two friends.
They reached the statue mouth again. It had seemed faster because their minds had all been thinking of different things. The questions had reduced the aches in their tiring feet.
Harry turned around. "Close...."
The violent shakes followed. All three of them crouched as Harry had done so before; they were too tired to look for support.
The silence grew as they left the statue's mouth. The only interruption for some time was Harry's "close" to the secret staircase.
They were once again in the Secret Tunnel...but Ron and Hermione's amusement had worn off.
"Where's the crawlspace?" Ron asked.
Harry motioned them toward the opening. "Here."
They all looked uncertainly at him. "Um...."
"It's okay! I'll go first. Nothing bites in there...."
"Alright...." Ron said slowly.
Harry rolled his eyes. "Come on."
They kneeled down and entered the darkness of the crawlspace.
* * *
Vetil awoke with a start.
"What?" he muttered.
The boy stared around his dormitory. The others were all asleep.
But he felt that something was wrong. Someone had woken him.
"Andeline!" Vetil hissed.
She was in the shadows by his bed, fingering the bead on the string around her neck. She looked guiltily at him.
"What're you doing? This is a boys' dormitory!"
"I'm sorry," Andeline muttered. She hesitated. "I...I know what happened that night...."
Vetil knew what she meant by that night.
"How?"
"The Secret Tunnel...." Andeline whispered.
Vetil stared openmouthed at her. "Only a parselmouth can get in there! You aren't a parselmouth last time I checked!"
Andeline shifted nervously. "I followed Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger. Harry's a parselmouth."
"They're—"
"I tried, Vetil! I really did! But I just can't!"
"So...you didn't follow them out of the tunnel?"
"No...." Andeline murmured. She looked blankly at him. "But, I found the truth, Vetil. I know what happened."
* * *
The trio looked up in wonder at the sloping walls.
"It's just like you said and more...." Hermione remarked in awe.
Harry squinted up at the openings into the sky. He still didn't know what that was for.
Ron looked down and shook his head to get the tenseness out of his neck. Harry did the same, but Hermione still looked up at the two openings.
"They look familiar...." she whispered.
"Hermione?" Ron asked.
She looked down. "They do."
"Well then...what is it? I can't make anything out of it...."
She shrugged. "I said it looks familiar...but I don't know what it is."
Harry nodded and turned his attention to the snake that was molded out of the wall. Strangely, the snake seemed to smile at him....
"Open...."
As it did the last time...the wall slid upward. It revealed the continuing crawlspace.
Ron groaned.
"It'll get pretty steep," Harry warned.
Hermione and Ron nodded.
The three entered the crawlspace with one last glance upward into the sky.
They had been going for some time when Ron said, "It is steep...and slippery too. My hands feel so clumsy."
Harry laughed at that.
They continued upward until it slowly leveled out.
"Near here...." Harry said. "The trapdoor's over there somewhere."
They crouched in the narrow space and Harry reached to touch the wood of the trapdoor above him.
"Yeah. It's here."
He hoped that it wouldn't be stingy as it had the last time...but when he gave it a push, it swung upward with a crunch of wood against floor, but not all the way up.
"Noisy!" Ron hissed in Harry's ear.
Harry nodded with gritted teeth.
The trapdoor did not make a sound the rest of its way up. It thudded softly on the dust, particles flying into Harry's nose. He sustained a cough.
Ron and Hermione crawled out after him. They squinted in the darkness.
"Harry?"
"Yeah?"
"May I ask how you saw anything in here?" Hermione questioned.
"I dunno. I just did. Guess I got lucky."
He suspected that she was looking at him skeptically, but he let it pass.
"The door to Snape's room is over there."
Ron took the trapdoor and slowly put it down. He marveled at the way the wood blended with the stone.
"How's that possible?" Ron asked.
"Don't ask me!" Harry said.
Hermione had already blindly made herself across the room to the door. She waited patiently for the two boys to catch up.
Harry groped for the doorknob and found it. He was about to twist it when the door was yanked out of his hands.
Professor McGonagall stood on the other side of the door. She looked angry and horrified at the same time.
"What're you doing?" she asked in a hard voice.
Harry, Ron and Hermione shrank away, wishing they were invisible.
"Get in here!" the professor yelled.
They scrambled into Snape's old Potions class.
She slammed the door and leaned on it for support. Weariness showed through her anger.
"How could you...."
"Professor?" Hermione squeaked.
"Granger," Professor McGonagall said with a shake of her head. "You three wandering on a night especially like this one! How could you? Did you not hear my announcement for everyone to stay in their common rooms?"
"What's wrong?" Harry asked without a second thought.
Professor McGonagall looked at him and the rest of them. "You haven't heard?"
They shook their heads.
The professor sighed and massaged her forehead. "Pansy Parkinson was found dead in the Slytherin Common room...."